1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to garments and outer wear wherein a loose fitting or extended length leg covering extends down to or below the upper ankle, and more particularly, to an accessory for preventing a pant leg from dragging on the ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recent trend in the fashion clothing industry is to make lower body coverings, notably pant legs, exceptionally long and wide. Reminiscent of bell-bottomed pants, fashion pants styles being sold today include pant legs that are exceptionally large in circumference and which extend below the upper ankle to the foot. In some cases, the bottoms of such pant legs may extend beyond the bottom of the foot so as to drag on the ground as the wearer walks. This poses several practical drawbacks, including the hazards of tripping, catching the garment on an object, soiling, as well as premature wear generated by contact with the ground as the wearer walks or moves.
In the past, others have proposed the use of a variety of trouser retention devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 229,031 to Campbell discloses a cuff protector secured to the bottom of a trouser leg by pins to protect the trouser from being soiled or worn through contact with the ground. While Campbell's device protects the bottom hem of the pant leg to some degree, the garment remains free to move independently of the shoe. Moreover, this device requires that the garment be pierced by a pair of pins.
In U.S. Pat. No. 668,051 to Puffer, a trousers protector includes a clip that is used to catch the bottom edge of an extending trouser leg, and to attach it to a shoe. Puffer's clip includes a portion that must be inserted inside the wearer's shoe, posing some discomfort to the wearer. Moreover, Puffer's clip positions the lower edge of the pants leg proximate the upper edge of the wearer's shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 771,021 to Lux also discloses a clip to extend around the top of a shoe, but this device must actually be attached to a garment by stitches. All of these devices require a clip to extend over the shoe top, and into the shoe, which poses discomfort to the user, and which position the lower hem of the pant leg elevated well above the ground.
Some known trouser supports allow for adjustment of the elevation of the trouser hem relative to the top of the shoe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 586,666 to Neuendorff discloses a trouser support clip mechanism that clips over the top of a shoe and which includes a mechanism for varying the length of the clip. U.S. Pat. No. 898,503 to Plummer discloses a trousers support clip using a chain that can be adjusted in length to vary the height at which the lower hem of the pant leg is supported. However, like the other double-clip devices discussed above, the Neuendorff and Plummer trouser retention devices still include the requirement for extending over and around the shoe top, extending behind, and in contact with, the wearer's heel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,862 to Bunjes also discloses a double-clip pant leg support wherein a portion of the clip must be inserted inside the shoe. The Bunjes device is designed to support the lower hem relatively low to the ground. While the Bunjes device is made from flexible materials, the clip must still be inserted inside the compartment of the shoe that receives the wearer's foot.
Other devices are also known to attach pant cuffs to shoes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,906 to Lavine discloses a pair of releasable clips attached to opposite ends of an elongated elastic strap. The strap is extended around the bottom of the shoe, and the clips are attached to opposite sides of the lower hem of the pants leg. Lavine's device secures a trouser cuff simply by pulling it down toward the wearer's shoe. Such a strap will not, however, prevent an extending trouser leg from brushing on the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,156 to Ogelsby also discloses a strap used to pull trouser legs down toward the wearer's shoes. Oglesby discloses the use of a snap fastener for attaching the strap to the pant leg. These snap fasteners can be attached either to the interior or the exterior of the trouser leg, and are a semi permanent fixture to the pant leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,582 Milburn discloses a trouser leg retaining device that prevents the bottom of the trouser leg from getting caught within the user's shoes. This device includes a strap to connect the shoe directly to the pant leg. One end of the strap includes an O-ring or clip for attachment to the shoe. The trouser leg portion fastens via a snap fastener through the garment material of the pant leg, requiring the piercing of the material to fasten the snap.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,829,847 to O'Shea discloses a pant cuff protector for securing a pant leg to a shoe via the use of magnetic clamps. A first magnet is secured to the rear of a shoe. A second magnet is secured to a strap extending from the lower heel portion of the shoe. The second magnet is selectively positioned proximate the first magnet to clamp a pant cuff therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,591 to Leslie discloses a strap for securing a firefighter's trousers to his boots. The strap is attached to the top of the boot barrel. A snap is provided on the pant leg to snap onto the lower end of the strap.
None of the aforementioned trouser retention devices serves both to prevent contact of the pants leg with the ground, while avoiding the need to either insert a clip into the inner portion of the shoe or substantially modify the shoe. Furthermore, typical retention devices do not provide for the placement of a logo, or other indicia, on the outer surface, nor do they allow for convenient replacement of such a logo.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cuff clip that easily and conveniently serves to prevent the lower hem of a pant leg from becoming soiled or worn through contact with the ground.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cuff clip that does not require any augmentation or damage to the pant leg material.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide for a strong and semi-permanent shoe portion attachment together with a separate cuff clip member that can be easily secured or removed as the wearer sees fit.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide for a semi-permanent attachment that can be installed on multiple shoes, each with a complimentary head fastener piece that can combine with a variety of cuff clips.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a cuff clip that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a cuff clip adapted to display one or more logos.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the description of the present invention proceeds.